One of the outstanding problems in house construction is that of preventing the leakage of warm air from the interior of the house around the space between a door and its frame. For many years, the method of accomplishing this was by the use of the so-called "weather stripping" in which a mechanical interlock was arranged between an element on the door and an element on the frame. Such devices were complex in nature, as well as difficult and expensive to apply to the door, since special rabbets had to be formed on the door to permit the installation. In the recent past, it has been found that air-tight seals for refrigerators can be provided by the use of a resilient element in which is embedded a permanent magnet. Such structures not only hold the refrigerator door in closed position, but provide an excellent air-tight seal. Many manufacturers, therefore, have adapted this system to the provision of sealing for house doors, but the units have been applied to the door and frame in the factory and the door and frame have been sold as a unit, the door usually being made of steel. Doors and frames made this way are very expensive, of course, and this apparatus does not lend itself to application to existing doors and frames, particularly those made of wood. The reason that the magnetic seals lend themselves well to the steel door and frame is because these elements do not change their geometric relationship to each other with time. In the case of wooden doors and frames, however, the weather and moisture causes the wood to swell and warp, so that the edge relationships of the doors and frames change from time-to-time. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.
It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide apparatus for providing a seal between the edge of a door and the frame, wherein the apparatus can be readily applied after the house has been completed.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a sealing apparatus for a door and frame that can be applied without removing the door from its hinges.
A further object of the present invention is the provison of a door sealing apparatus which can be attached to a door by a person of moderate skill without the use of complex tools.
It is another object of the instant invention to provide a sealing apparatus for a door and its frame in which no modification of the door or frame is necessary.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a sealing apparatus for a door in which the apparatus is capable of being supplied in the form of a kit that can be cut and applied by unskilled labor.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a door sealing apparatus which retains its sealing ability despite geometric changes in the door and frame due to warping and the like.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a door sealing apparatus of such a nature that it can be inexpensively manufactured by mass production methods, thus assuring extensive use in energy-saving applications.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a door sealing apparatus which can be exposed to extreme changes of temperature and of moisture without deterioration.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.